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New Year, New Hotel Gimmick: $20.10 Rate at Miami's Hotel Urbano

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  Site Where: 2500 Brickell Avenue [map], Miami, FL, United States, 33129
November 20, 2009 at 9:36 AM | by Heidi Atwal | 0 Comments

Miami's soon-to-be-opened Hotel Urbano is pushing a Grand Opening gimmick that ranks low in creativity but high on the savings-o-meter.

Originally slated to open in October, as we reported, its unveiling will now take place in late December, just in time to receive an onslaught of travelers in the new year.

The themed deal offers guests who book two or more nights in January 2010 a rate of $20.10 for their first night. That's good enough for those who want to kick off 2010 in a snow-free climate, but just remember--the hotel is located in Brickell which is downtown Miami as opposed to Miami Beach and its party scene. But with regular room rates ranging from $115-230 per night, you're pocketing a lot of cash and should have plenty of cab fare to get back-and-forth with no problem.

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Go Gidget at The Postcard Inn on the Beach

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  Site Where: 6300 Gulf Blvd [map], St. Pete Beach, FL, United States, 33706
October 20, 2009 at 11:28 AM | by MsRebecca | 0 Comments

Yes, yes, we realize it is officially fall, but it just seems too damn cold too damn soon this year. Which means we’re getting a jump-start on our snowbird plans, weighing up which sunny destination to escape to first come December or January. News, then, that the Postcard Inn on the Beach opened last Thursday in St. Pete Beach, Florida, was music to our cold ears.

We’ll always have a soft spot for the beachy motels of America’s past, and this looks like just the place to rediscover our inner Gidget. First of all, there’s the décor of the guest rooms: ocean murals on the walls, surfboards and gear as decoration, and vintage light fixtures. Some rooms will have poolside patios for post-beach brews, and others overlook the garden or the gulf.

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Fairmont Hotels Inspired to Give Back by Ken Burns' New Documentary

September 28, 2009 at 2:50 PM | by Heidi Atwal | 0 Comments

The Fairmont San Francisco jumps on the state park philanthropy bandwagon, details below

If you've ever seen any portion of the sweeping TV-documentary The Civil War, then you know who Ken Burns is. The PBS mainstay has been producing and directing films for the network for a quarter century about everything from the Statue of Liberty to architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

When Burns speaks, PBS-o-philes listen, and he's not one to shy away from advocating causes close to his heart. His latest documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea (how's that for a bold statement?) recently premiered on PBS; it takes a look at famous outdoor landmarks like The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, and the "people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved."

That's all well and good, but what exactly does it have to do with hotels? The Fairmont has jumped on the Ken Burns bandwagon, promoting park and nature-related packages and making charitable gestures in the spirit of PBS' giving filmmaker. Hey, if The Fairmont Newport Beach can push an Orange County, naturalist-led "Gold Coast" tour and donate 10 percent of proceeds to the California Commission at the same time, why not?

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Seagate Hotel and Spa Opening Soon in Delray Beach

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  Site Where: 1000 East Atlantic Avenue [map], Delray Beach, FL, United States, 33483
September 3, 2009 at 9:11 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments

Coming soon to Florida's Gold Coast … we hear that the Seagate Hotel and Spa in Delray Beach is ready to open in November this year – so ready, in fact, that they're even taking bookings, at least from Friday November 6. They are advertising an opening special for the month of November with rates starting at $159 per night, but when we tried to book online, as instructed, we couldn't find any rooms cheaper than $279 a night.

Putting aside our obvious frustration for a second, the Seagate sounds like it does have some good qualities too. The 162-roomer is one block from the beach and smack bang in the middle of the entertainment district, so some evening action should be easy to find. The beach theme is featured throughout and there's a 5000-gallon aquarium to gaze at.

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Marriott's Nickelodeon Getaways Head on Down to Florida

Where: FL, United States
June 9, 2009 at 12:27 PM | by KatieK | 1 Comment

As we’ve noted before, Marriott and Nickelodeon sure have been getting cozy of late. Nickelodeon Getaway packages are cropping up at Marriott hotels worldwide, with two Florida hotels — the Doral Golf Resort & Spa and Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort — debuting the partnership in the Sunshine State this Friday.

The Nickelodeon Getaway package features a two-night stay, SpongeBob SquarePants or Dora the Explorer sleepover kit with pillowcase and Nickelodeon-themed gifts, character breakfast for the family, and souvenir photo with your favorite character. Not to mention, kids can hang at the pool for Nickelodeon’s signature interactive poolside game show in the afternoon, which naturally includes the crowd-pleasing chance to get slimed.

Meanwhile, parents can relax hitting the links, taking a dip in the waterfalls pool at Doral’s Blue Lagoon rec area (complete with poolside cabanas), or lounging at Marco Island’s Tiki pool. Each resort always offers a boatload of kid-friendly activities, from Camp Doral kid activities to free tee-offs for kids ages 6 to 15 after 3 p.m. when accompanied by a paying adult.

Rates start at $179 at Doral Golf Resort & Spa and $239 at Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, available Friday through Sunday only. Book the rates using promo code ZNL.

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W Fort Lauderdale Finishing Up For April 30 Opening

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  Site Where: 401 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd [map], Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States, 33304
April 23, 2009 at 12:39 PM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Ready for another W Hotels grand opening? They have been on a roll as of late, first debuting the W Hoboken last month and now prepping to reveal their first two Florida properties within several weeks of each other.

Due to finally debut (after a delay from a previously-announced April 2nd date) is the W Fort Lauderdale on April 30, with the W South Beach riding its hype coattails on June 2. Let's focus on the Fort Lauderdale property for now at least, as it's got a hefty size to it: weighing in at 346 hotel rooms and 171 condo-hotel apartments, this will be the largest W resort to date. As the first W in Florida, it will be bringing a few other firsts of its own to the scene, including the first Stephen Starr restaurant and whiskey bar in the state.

Thankfully, all signs point to "yes" for an on-time April 30 opening. Hotels.com is already taking reservations for that night, ringing up rooms at $289 — though rates appear to be coming down significantly to $215 in the middle of May. Not bad, especially since there wil be liquor flowing downstairs and a beach on which to bake outside. Count us in.

[Image: W Fort Lauderdale]

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Hawks Cay Resort Cares About Bored Teenagers

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  Site Where: 61 Hawks Cay Blvd [map], Duck Key, FL, United States, 33050
March 12, 2009 at 9:01 AM | by amandak | 1 Comment

You want to lie by the pool; your teenager whines that they're bored. Either you remember the drag of traveling with your parents when you're a teenager, or you've got some of those odd creatures yourself: in any case, who can argue with a hotel that dreams up a program for bored teenagers? It's got to be a good idea, and the Hawks Cay Resort in Duck Key, Florida, are onto it.

They're launching an Aquajam Program for teenage resort guests aged from 12 to 17. There's a water theme, obviously, with three days of kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing and sailing. Including lunch every day, the package costs $870 per teen.

We're not sure if today's Nintendo-generation teens will all be wanting to hit the great outdoors, but we're sure that those who do will come back to the hotel room exhausted (and possibly wet). Room rates are now starting from $175 a night although those traveling with teenagers probably want to look into villas which are more around the $300 mark.

[Photo: NJBunch]

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Amelia Island Offers Inauguration Escape Route for DC Residents

December 29, 2008 at 9:45 AM | by KatieK | 1 Comment

While the rest of the country flocks to Washington, D.C, this January for the presidential inauguration, we can think of more than a few D.C. residents who’d rather be somewhere – anywhere! – else. They might look to Amelia Island off the coast of northeastern Florida for their escape route.

That’s because seven island hotels have unveiled discounts just for residents of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, good Jan. 18 through Jan. 22. And unlike those Washington hotels jacking up their prices in the name of democracy, Amelia Island’s rates are actually affordable. Plus, it’s warm there. And there won’t be four million people threatening the city’s infrastructure.

See the list of hotels after the jump.

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Hotel Blog Watch :: Household Tips from Christopher's Inn

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  Site Where: 539 Liberty Avenue [map], Mount Dora, FL, United States
October 1, 2008 at 12:16 PM | by amandak | 1 Comment

Two things immediately grab us about the blog being run by the owners of Christopher's Inn in Florida: first, it's not just full of boring, blatant advertising, and second, the name of their blog has a good pun: Innside Story. That's a big thumbs up right from the get go.

Delve a bit deeper into this blog and you can certainly learn more about Christopher's Inn and the locality of Mount Dora. And you can also find a bunch of useful recipes, including some delicious-sounding sweet potato pancakes which, just to show that the competition is friendly in Mount Dora, actually come from the kitchen at another nearby inn!

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Florida Keys Hotels Shut Down as Tropical Storm Fay Moves Ashore

Where: FL, United States
August 18, 2008 at 10:13 AM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

Tropical storm Fay is headed toward the U.S. after slamming Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and could be upgraded to low-level hurricane status as it moves ashore late today or early tomorrow.

As of this morning, a tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Florida Keys and parts of South Florida, and a hurricane watch had been issued for most of the Keys and along Florida's west coast to Tarpon Springs.

An AP report outlining Fay's status said:

Keys officials earlier Sunday had issued a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and asked those who had not yet arrived to postpone their trips. Officials said hotels and businesses won't be forced to remove visitors, but they should use common sense.

Yikes. Due to the evacuation orders, it looks like Sheraton Key West is officially closed, as their website has a "Temporary Hotel Closure -- August 17 to August 21, 2008" advisory on the home page.

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Sandestin Resort Gets a Zip Line, But Is That Enough?

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  Site Where: 9300 Emerald Coast Pkwy West [map], Sandestin, FL, United States, 32550
August 6, 2008 at 9:00 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments

Who'd want to pick a hotel according to the best rooms or a great restaurant when you could choose Florida's Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort because of its new zip line?

Yep, we admit that we can be sold by something like this, and so Northwest Florida's Sandestin Resort's whole Baytowne Adventure Zone sounds like something we could get into. The zip line has some nice figures: it runs 52 feet above the ground and takes you 650 from tower to tower, giving great (but fast) views over the Baytowne Wharf area.

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WASP Hotels :: SoFla's Haughtiest Resort

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  Site Where: 1 S. County Road [map], Palm Beach, FL, United States, 33840
December 3, 2007 at 9:10 AM | by ced138 | 0 Comments

The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. is patroned by the kind of people who wear their family crests on their loafers. And yes -- Stubbs & Wootton, a prep-serving boutique with a location a few minutes away on 4 Via Parigi, actually sells these. This type of foolishness deserves our chagrin and broad stereotyping.

The 140-acre, five-star hotel gives WASPs what they most appreciate -- a history. In South Florida, where everything is brand new and kinda makeshift, The Breakers has been around since 1896. Well, technically, that building burnt to the ground and had to be rebuilt in the 20s, but let's just say the hotel has been around to house rich people in big, floppy hats since they had a luxury railcar to take them to the tip of the peninsula.

Related Stories:
· The Breakers Reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Stubbs & Wootton [Official Site]